http://nfsa.org/blog Some thoughts from NFSA Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:34:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Having recently completed our Board and Council meetings in conjunction with the Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association (CASA) in Toronto, Canada we were given a somewhat “brighter” picture of the present state of the Sprinkler Economy. It appears from reports from our Contactors Council some areas of the United States appear ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2011/06/20/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93dawning-of-recovery/ The general economy appears to be at the bottom of one of the longest recessionary cycles since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, while the construction industry is always on the “tail end” of any recessionary cycle, it is also at the “tail end” of any recovery. While bidding activity has increased ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2011/04/28/the-economic-roundtable/ Byron R. Wien, Vice Chairman, Blackstone Advisory Partners, today issued his list of The Ten Surprises for 2011. This is the 26th year Byron has given his predictions of a number of economic, financial market and political surprises for the coming year. Byron defines a "Surprise" as an event which ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2011/01/10/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93-the-following-was-distributed-by-one-of-nfsas-money-managers-and-makes-a-numbers-of-provocative-observations/ Business confidence seems to be on the upswing.  Wholesale inventories rose almost 2% in October to $427.1 Billion suggesting that suppliers and business expect a robust holiday sales season. The October report on wholesale inventory was a “breathy of fresh air” for the economy. With sales rising to a seven month ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/12/17/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93have-we-bottomed-out/ We, like many of you, are in the process of assembling our Budget for 2011. Naturally, we need to provide our Finance Committee with our forecast for the balance of 2010 based on 8 months actual revenue and expense and our budget for 2011. All indications suggest that we may ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/10/15/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93are-there-still-economic-headwinds/ In recent days economic data suggests the economic recovery is gaining momentum. Trade deficit numbers are encouraging, corporate profits have soared, consumer debt has been drastically reduced and personal savings are improving. Hopefully consumer spending will show a marked increase and this engine which traditionally has been the driving force ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/09/15/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93-recovery-at-a-snail%e2%80%99s-pace/ The results of the Homeowner’s Insurance Credit survey are linked to this month's insurance blog.  There were a total of 79 responses, many with comments.  Most automatic fire sprinkler systems are garnering a discount of 1-10%.  These responses made up 58 of the 79.   You will note when reviewing the ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/08/18/homeowners%e2%80%99-insurance-credit-%e2%80%93-how-much-are-insurance-companies-are-giving/  Reports from the field suggest we may have bottomed out from the worst recessionary cycle in the history of our Industry.  While bidding activity cannot be characterized as robust reports suggest that business activity, at the very least, has stabilized.  The recovery during this cycle will, from all reports, be ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/08/18/the-economic-roundtable-%e2%80%93-are-we-at-the-bottom/ Many of our readers live in homes protected by residential fire sprinklers. In an effort to determine what credits for having fire sprinklers are given by insurance carriers, we ask that you take this short survey. NFSA is having discussions with several large insurance carriers and is seeking credits in ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/07/19/homeowners%e2%80%99-insurance-credit-%e2%80%93-how-much-are-you-saving/ Results are in from the latest Contractor Backlog Survey. Results as of May 15, 2010 appear to be a bit more optimistic than those as of September 2009. We have also had reports from a few suppliers that say they’ve seen some improvement in business this year. Please report any ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/06/16/nfsa-contractor-backlog-survey-results-comparison/